Railway-car



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ISSEL RAILWAY GAR.

Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

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T. A. BISSELL.

RAILWAY OAR.

Patented Sept. 2. 1890.

(No Model.)

me new UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. BISSELL, OF BUFFALO, NE\V YORK.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,676, dated September 2, 1890.

Application filed May 29, 1890. $erial No. 353,519. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, THOMAS A. BIsSELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vestibule-cars having hoods, which form a closed passage between two adjoining cars. Heretofore these hoods have usually been constructed in the form of an accordion or bellows and provided with face-plates or frames which abut against each other and form a tight joint.

One object of my invention is to dispense with these face-plates and thereby simplify the construction of the hoods.

Another object is to provide means whereby the parts constituting the hood are automatically disconnected when the cars are uncoupled or in case the same become accidentally separated.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the end portions of two adjoining railway-cars provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section in line as as, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the automatic uncoupling mechanism on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of said mechanism at right angles to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end view of the car on a reduced scale. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section in line y y, Fig. 1, showing the top of the connecting-hood. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the hood in line .2 a, Fig. l, on an enlarged scale.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A A represent the side walls of the vestibules of two adjoining cars, and A A are the end plates or frames thereof.

Each car is providedon one side of its end entrance at opposite ends of the car with an upright curtain B, which is attached at its inner vertical edge to the end plate A by suitable fastenings, and extends across one side of the space between the adjoining vestibules of two cars, so as to form one side of the con necting-hood. The curtains B are provided at their outer free edges with eyes I).

On the opposite sides of the end entrance of each vestibule is arranged a vertically-sliding supporting-rod O, having upwardly-proj ecting hooks or pins cl, with which the eyes I) of the opposing curtain engage, as represented in Fig. 1. It will thus be understood that the curtains and supporting-rods of adjoining cars are reversely arranged, the rods standing diagonally opposite each other and the curtains constituting together the two sides of the hood connecting the vestibules. The curtains are preferably constructed of leather; but they may be made of canvas or any other flexible material. The sliding bar O is guided in a vertical tube E, which is supported at its upper and lower ends in brackets e e, secured to the inner side of the end plate A. This tube is provided with vertical slots e through which the hooks (Z pass.

f is a spiral spring arranged within the lower portion of the tube E, between the lower end of the sliding rod 0 and a plug closing the adjacent end of the tube. This spring holds the sliding rod in an elevated position, in which its upwardly-projecting hooks d remain in engagement with the eyes I) of the curtain.

G represents sleeves or supports secured to the guide-tube E above the hooks of the supporting-rod O, and g are spring-catches arranged on said sleeves and whereby the eyes of the curtain are prevented from becoming accidentally detached from the hooks of the supporting-rod. As more clearly represented in Fig. 3, these spring-catches are pivoted at their upper ends to bifurcated lugs formed on the sleeves G and terminate in a nose or lateral projection g, which, when the supporting-rod is in an elevated position, limits the upward movement of the curtain-eye and retains the same upon its hook. The catches are held in their normal position in line with the hooks by spiral springs g interposed between the catches and the adjacent front side of the sleeves G.

9 represents slotted lugs formed on the lower front side of the sleeves G, and in which the outer portions of the hooks g are guided.

H represents an elbow or trip lever pivoted at its lower end to a bifurcated arm h, attached to the upper bracket 0. The lever H is adapted to bear with its lower curved arm h against an anti-friction-roller 2', journaled in the upper bifurcated end of the supporting-rod C, so as to depress the latter and disengage its hooks from the eyes of the curtain.

j is a chain or cord secured to the end of the car and loosely attached at its free end to the bifurcated upper end of the trip-lever of the opposing car. A similar chain is secured to the opposing car for operating the trip-lever of the other supporting-rod. These chains are of such length that they will hang slack and not affect the trip levers of the supporting-rods C so long as the cars remain coupled. WVhen the cars are uncoupled or in the event of the cars becoming accidentally separated from any cause, the chains are drawn taut and caused to pull the trip-levers outwardly into the position represented by dotted lines in Fig. 3, causing the lower arms of the levers to depress the supporting-rods and automatically disconnecting the hooks d from the eyes of the curtains. By the time the trip-levers have been shifted their upper arms will have assumed the outwardly-inclined position indicated in Fig. 3, which permits the end links of the. chains to readily detach themselves from the bifurcated ends of the levers. As soon as the chains are disconnected from the levers, the spiral springs f return the supporting-rods O to their normal elevated position.

The curtains B are preferably provided with transverse elastic bands 70, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which bands retract the curtains toward the end plates of the vestibules when the same are released from the hooks of the supporting-rods C. These elastic bands are preferably sewed into transverse pockets arranged on the inner sides of the curtains, as represented in Fig. 7.

L L, Figs. 5 and 6, represent horizontal flaps or extensions of the curtains B, forming the top of the connecting-hood. These flaps extend inwardly from the upper ends of the side curtains B and preferably overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 6, to form a tight joint. These flaps are supported by horizontal rock-shafts or rods M M, arranged above the end entrance of the vestibules and having upwardly-projecting hooks m, which engage with eyes m, attached to the lateral edges of the flaps. The rock-shafts M are journaled at their ends in bearings formed in housings or casings N, secured to the upper part of the end plates A outside of the trip-levers H.

o isa rock-arm arranged at one end of the rock-shaft M, and 0 is arod connecting said arm with the elbow of the trip-lever H,whereby said rock-shaft is turned so as to disengage its hooks from the eyes of the flaps L when the trip-lever is operated by the chain j. In

. this manner the edges of the flaps are automatically disconnected from the supportingrods or rock-shafts simultaneously with the disengagement of the side curtains from the and permitting the eyes of the side curtains to be engaged over the hooks cl, and the free ends of the chains j are then connected to the trip-levers.

Q representsshields attached to the end plates A above the flaps L, and which close the spaces between the end of the car and the edges of the flaps, so as to exclude dust, &c., from the interior of the hood. tains B are preferably stiffened by upright steel rods 0", (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which are confined in upright pockets sewed to the inner side of the curtains.

By my improved mechanism the curtains constituting the protecting-hood are automatically disconnected when the cars are uncoupled without requiring any attention on the part of the brakeman, and in the event of the coupling becoming accidentally separated the parts of the hood are also disconnected, thereby preventing destruction of the hood.

I claim as my invention-- l. The combination, with a railway car provided on its platform with a vestibulehaving its end frame arranged rearwardly from the face of the platform, of a side curtain which is attached with its rear edge to one side of.

the vestibule and which extends beyond the platform sufficiently to be attached to the side of the vestibule of an adjacent car, whereby when two cars are attached together the curtain of each car extends over the platform of the other car and closes one side of the passage, while when the cars are separated a curtain remains attached to each stantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a railway-car provided on its platform with a vestibule having its end frame arranged rearwardly from the face of the platform, of a side curtain provided with a top flap attached with its rear edge to one side and the top of the vestibule and which extends beyond the platform sufficiently to be attached to the side and top of the vestibule of the adjacent car, whereby when two cars are attached together the curtain of each car will extend over the platform of the other car on one side of the vestibules and inclose one side of the passage, and the top flap will close the top of the passage, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with two adjoining railway-cars, of a curtain attached to one of the cars, and a movable supporting-rod ar- The side cur-' car, sub- IIO ranged on the other car and having fastenin gs with which the free end of the curtain is detachably connected, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a railway-car, of an upright curtain attached to the end of the car on one side of its entrance, and an upright movable supporting-rod arranged on the opposite side of the entrance and having fastenings for the attachment of the curtain of an opposing car, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with two opposing rail- Way-cars, of a curtain attached to the end of one of the cars, a movable supporting-rod arranged on the other car and having fastenings for the attachment of the curtain of the opposing car, and an actuating device,whereby the supporting-rod is automatically shifted to disengage its fastenings from the curtain when the cars become separated, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a railway-car, of an upright curtain attached to the end of the car on one side of its entrance, an upright movable supporting-rod arranged on the opposite side of the entrance and having fastenings for the attachment of the curtain of an opposing car, and an actuating device, whereby the supporting-rod is automatically shifted and its fastenings disconnected from the curtain when the cars become separated, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a railway-car, of a curtain attached to the end of the car, a movable supporting-rod also arranged at the end of the car and having fastenings for the attachment of the curtain of an opposing car, and a shifting-lever adapted to be connected with an opposing car, and whereby said rod is shifted, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with two opposing rail- Way-cars, of a curtain attached at its inner edge to the end of one of the cars, a movable supporting-rod arranged upon the end of the other car and having fastenings for the outer edge of said curtain, a trip-lever whereby said rod is shifted to disengage its fastenings from the curtain, and a chain adapted to be loosely connected at one end to said trip-lever and secured at its other end to the opposing car, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with two opposing railway-cars, of a curtain attached at its inner edge to the end of one of the cars, a movable supporting-rod arranged upon the end of the other car and having fastenings for the outer edge of said curtain, a trip-lever whereby said rod is shifted to disengage its fastenings from the curtain, a chain adapted to be loosely connected at one end to said trip-lever and secured at its other end to the opposing car, and a spring whereby the rod is returned to its normal position, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination,with a protecting-hood and two opposing railway-cars, each carrying one of the side curtains and one of the flaps or top curtains of the hood, of vertically-sliding supporting-rods arranged respectively at the ends of the cars opposite the side curtains and having fastenings for the curtains, horizontal rock-shafts also arranged at the ends of the cars and having curtain-fastenings, and trip-levers whereby said horizontal and upright rods are simultaneously shifted to disengage their fastenings from the curtains, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination,with a railway-car provided on its platform with a vestibule, having its end frame arrange-d rearwardly from the face of the platform, of a side curtain which is attached with its rear edge to one side of the vestibule and which projects beyond the platform sufiiciently to be attached to the side of the opposing vestibule, and transverse elastic bands attached to the curtain, whichare stretched in fastening the free edge of the curtain to the opposing vestibule and whereby the curtain is retracted when its free edge is released, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination,with two opposing rail way-cars, of a curtain attached to the end'of one of the cars and having attaching-eyes, a movable supporting-rod attached to the end of the other car and provided with attachinghooks, and spring-catches whereby the curtain-eyes are confined upon said hooks, sub stantially as set forth.

13. The combination, with a railway-car, of a flexible side curtain attached to the end of the car and provided with upright stiffeningrods, substantially as set forth.

Witness m y hand this 1 6th day of May, 1890.

THOMAS A. BISSELL. Witnesses:

F. O. GEYER, JNo. J. BONNER. 

